The Squirrels are telling us to Get ready for Winter

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Squirrels of Middletown MD Building nest up high

My grandfather always told me to pay attention to the squirrels.  They are telling us what the winter will be like.  Sure they are scurrying for nuts all the time.  Look at the tails, are they bushy?  Thick and bushy, don’t you think they want to be warm this winter?  How about their nest?  Higher in the tree, worse the winter.  (he said that about the paper hornets nest too!)  Thicker the nest, worse the winter.   I don’t know about Channel 7 News, but I like to believe my grandfather…not that it came true all the time…I just liked to listen to his wisdom.

And with that I must say, vacant home owners need to be ready…How many times has a Buyer’s agent taken their client to show a houses and couldn’t get in? That’s frustrating for the buyers. This buyer might need to find something real soon and your house wasn’t ready for show. Worse off, your house was perfect for them.

Here are a couple tips to remember with your vacant house.

  1. Shovel the sidewalks - This is just asking for problems. And not only that, you can be fined by the city (with in the city limits)
  2. Winterize the house - If you think you home will be vacant for a long time, call a plumber to removed the water from your pipes. This way if the furnace breaks down while it is freezing outside, you don’t have problems.
  3. Visit a couple times - Either send someone or do it yourself. Pick up the free publications and pizza notices from the driveway and the door.
  4. Vacuum - While at the house at least once or twice a month, vacuum up leaves or dust bunnies that might have been tracked into the house.
  5. Remove Toilet Paper - WHAT? Believe me, if you don’t turn off the water, you are going to want to remove the toilet paper. If available sometimes, people will use the bathrooms. What no plunger? You get my drift or the next visitor will.
  6. Call your Insurance Company - this is for your protection. Not all insurance companies offer the same coverage when the home is vacant. You will need to clear this up before an accident happens.
  7. Hire a Home Stager - Yes it cost some money, but a stager will be able to make the empty home look homey and that’s all it might take to sell your home.

Now these are only a few suggestions, but they will help you with the successful sale of your home.

Good Luck, be patient, price right and make it best of show.

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January 17, 2008 · Filed Under Frederick MD Real Estate, Staging, frederick real estate, seller

Comments

11 Responses to “The Squirrels are telling us to Get ready for Winter”

  1. Chris Griffith on January 17th, 2008 6:34 am

    Great list! There is nothing worse than trying to take buyers to a home they have selected to see and not being able to get in. If the sellers only knew there was a breathing body on their doorstep that was turned away.

  2. Sarah Cooper on January 17th, 2008 6:57 am

    I know a home inspector who was caught with his pants down over a vacant/bathroom issue.

    (Little One and I tried to leave this comment earlier and it wouldn’t go through. She finds it strange that we had to do math to leave a comment, and even weirder that the math was so easy. She thinks you should raise your standards.)

  3. Chris Griffith on January 17th, 2008 6:59 am

    LOL Tell Little One I did the math wrong the first time! LOL

  4. Palmetto Bay Redland Real Estate on January 17th, 2008 7:39 am

    Great list for the absentee owner. Thanks for the graphic with the toilet paper thingie. It brought back immediate flashbacks I would have reather avoided.

    Where’s Little One so I can get this darn comment posted?

    Maggie Dokic

  5. Linda Davis on January 17th, 2008 8:25 pm

    I’m a bit of a weather junkie. Squirrels are much more accurate than weather forecasters. You can bet your nuts on it!

  6. gotbob on January 17th, 2008 8:29 pm

    Chris, a breathing body with money to buy their house…hmmm

    Sarah, hate leaky plumbing… tell LO I don’t want to scare people off :) she can help you with the math.

    Mags, EXACTLY… I didn’t need to paint a picture, but experienced agents like yourself know what I am saying.

    Linda, Linda…so true!

  7. Dan Eckenrode on January 18th, 2008 12:13 pm

    Bob,

    You truly are a man with many talents. I take it you learned the hard way on the toliet! Great tips!

  8. gotbob on January 18th, 2008 5:39 pm

    Dan, At a final walk thru… I was speechless.

  9. Carole Cohen on January 20th, 2008 10:15 pm

    In Cleveland we have wooly bear catapillars (although I haven’t seen one since I moved back lol) and our weather forecaster Dick Goddard who is older than god made his career on predicting winter based on their er, coats? What do you call a catapillar’s fur? LOL Anyway, it was still light out at 5:30 pm today so that made me happy

  10. gotbob on January 21st, 2008 8:33 pm

    We have the woolies too. The more brown the milder the winter…and the more black, the colder.

    And don’t forget Punxsutawney Phil for the spring prediction either. :)

  11. Carole Cohen on January 21st, 2008 10:34 pm

    yes it is almost punxatawney’s time to shine :-)

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